Senior White House aide Rob Porter physically assaulted two ex-wives

Senior White House aide Rob Porter physically assaulted two ex-wives, they tell @theintercept. Full story to come in the morning.

This comes after the Daily Mail published an interview with his second wife alleging abuse, with the White House standing firmly behind him. John Kelly: "Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him".

Another senior Trumpster bites the dust. I'd love to hear what our resident Trumpsters think about the senior staff attrition rate in the Trump White House. Is Failin' Donald just unlucky, a totally crap judge of character or simply great at choosing senior staff who share his own low standards of personal conduct? The vetting officer assigned to the White House must be the most underemployed person in the US government.

A court slapped a domestic abuse restraining order on this guy years ago. It's not just a matter of nasty ex-wives making unverified claims, after he was in the White House.

And how did he pass a Top Secret security clearance? Did he actually get one, or were its findings ignored? Just like fired National Security Advisor Flynn managed to get into the White House, despite his own past, that would have blocked anyone else from an appointment.

John Kelly Is ‘Shocked’ by Porter Abuse Allegations, Which the White House Already Knew About

Rob Porter, the White House staff secretary, a former Senate aide, who’s worked closely with White House Chief of Staff John Kelly as he’s tried to bring stability to the often chaotic administration. His second ex-wife, Jennifer Willoughby, described him as “charming and intelligent and diligent and extremely good at his job.”

However, Willoughby added that Porter is also “in capital letters, abusive and manipulative and toxic in his personal relationships.” Over the past three days, both Willoughby and Colbie Holderness, Porter’s first wife, have said they suffered physical, verbal, and emotional abuse during their marriages. On Wednesday Porter, who is reportedly dating White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, resigned as staff secretary, but only after receiving a vigorous defense from several top White House officials.

It’s common for domestic abusers to appear stable and kind to people outside the relationship, and it’s understandable that those who only know Porter as a mild-mannered attorney often by President Trump’s side would be taken aback by the allegations. But according to CNN, senior White House officials have been aware of the claims against Porter for months, as it prevented him from obtaining security clearance. Politico reported that in recent weeks, Porter’s ex-girlfriend, who also works in the Trump administration, told White House counsel Don McGahn that he had a history of abuse and she was distressed when she learned he was dating Hicks.

Nevertheless, Porter was allowed to remain in his job, which involves managing the documents put in front of the president. CNN notes he was even promoted:

Instead, Kelly and others oversaw an elevation in Porter’s standing. He was one of a handful of aides who helped draft last week’s State of the Union address. He traveled instead of Kelly to the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. And he was one of a select group of aides who shook Chinese President Xi Jinping’s hand during a state visit to Beijing in November.

The world learned about the abuse allegations on Tuesday, when the Daily Mail published Willoughby’s detailed account of her marriage to Porter, which lasted from 2009 to 2013. The paper also published a protective order Willoughby filed against Porter, in which she says he refused to leave her apartment, violating their separation agreement, and punched in the glass on her door.

Porter called her claims “slanderous and simply false,” and the White House released three statements vouching for his character — which Hicks reportedly helped draft. Kelly said:

Rob Porter is a man of true integrity and honor and I can’t say enough good things about him. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional. I am proud to serve alongside him.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders added:

I have worked directly with Rob Porter nearly every day for the last year and the person I know is someone of the highest integrity and exemplary character. Those of us who have the privilege of knowing him are better people because of it.

And the White House released this statement from Senator Orrin Hatch, Porter’s former employer, and one of Trump’s biggest allies in the Senate:

It’s incredibly discouraging to see such a vile attack on such a decent man. Shame on any publication that would print this — and shame on the politically motivated, morally bankrupt character assassins that would attempt to sully a man’s good name. I know Rob. I’ve known him for years, both as a close friend and as a personal advisor. He is kind and considerate towards all. The country needs more honest, principled people like Rob Porter, which is why I hope that this cynical campaign to discredit his character ultimately fails.

The Washington Post reports that behind the scenes, Porter offered to resign, but Kelly urged him to stay, saying he believed his denials and needed him in the White House. Then on Wednesday morning, the Daily Mail and the Intercept published the account of Holderness, who described physical abuse that gradually escalated from Porter laying on top of her and grinding a knee or elbow into her, to choking her, to punching her in the face during a vacation in Italy. The reports included photos of her injuries:

Porter announced he would resign, but continued to deny that he abused his ex-wives.

Holderness said she made him take the photos because “I said I wanted evidence if this should happen again.”

The disturbing photos changed the White House response, eventually. At Wednesday’s press briefing, Sanders said Trump and Kelly still had “full confidence” in Porter’s job performance. She added that there was no set date for Porter’s exit from the White House, and “it won’t be immediate.”

Then late on Wednesday night, White House sources said Porter would be gone within 48 hours. Sanders released a new statement from Kelly, in which he condemned domestic violence — but said he still stands by the previous statement describing Porter as a man of “true integrity and honor.”

I was shocked by the new allegations released today against Rob Porter. There is no place for domestic violence in our society. I stand by my previous comments of the Rob Porter that I have come to know since becoming chief of staff, and believe every individual deserves the right to defend their reputation. I accepted his resignation earlier today, and will ensure a swift and orderly transition.

Senator Hatch released a second statement condemning domestic violence as well:

I am heartbroken by today’s allegations. In every interaction I’ve had with Rob, he has been courteous, professional, and respectful. My staff loved him and he was a trusted advisor. I do not know the details of Rob’s personal life. Domestic violence in any form is abhorrent. I am praying for Rob and those involved.

But Hatch also told reporters he’d encouraged Porter not to resign, saying, “he’s basically a good person.”

As many noted on Wednesday, back in October, as Kelly was defending Trump’s insensitive comments to a slain soldier’s widow, the chief of staff lamented that women aren’t valued like they were when he was growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

“When I was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country,” he said. “Women were sacred and looked upon with great honor. That’s obviously not the case anymore, as we see from recent cases.”

It’s not clear why Kelly failed to take action when he learned why one of his closest aides was unable to obtain security clearance. According to the Times, some White House officials are suggesting that Porter misled him, and no one bothered looking into the matter any further.

Holderness told the Post that wasn’t the reaction she expected when she told the FBI agents vetting Porter about their marriage.

“I thought by sharing my story with the FBI he wouldn’t be put in that post,” Holderness said. “I’m telling the FBI this is what he’s done, and Jennie Willoughby is telling them what he’s done, and the White House says, sure, this is okay? I was let down by that.”

Hicks....General Kelly and Porter himself jeopardized national security...Porter had a temporary security clearance which acknowledges they all knew Porter's abusive history...If Obama would have had a staffer like this when he was in office...The alt right rj snowflakes would still be talking about it. The dad taught me to defend and respect women. Porter deserves a good..ol fashion..Missouri ass whoopin...

Trump and his team have a history of hiring domestic abusers. Meanwhile, the 'family values' crowd (a significant section of the Trump base) remain silent on Porter's domestic violence.

Why Didn’t the White House See Domestic Violence as Disqualifying?

That the president’s staff was unable to recognize the seriousness of the allegations against Rob Porter may reflect how many members of his team have faced similar claims—including Trump himself.

On New Year’s Day, 1996, future Trump campaign chair Steve Bannon was charged with three misdemeanor counts of domestic violence by the Santa Monica police. The charges were eventually dropped when his then-wife did not appear at the trial. On the day that she called the police to her house, however, she told them that at the beginning of their relationship, there had been “3-4 arguments that became physical,” according to the police report. They had gone to counseling, though, and she told police that there had “not been any physical abuse in their arguments for about the past four years”—until the violent altercation that day.

Bannon’s predecessor at the Trump campaign also faced criminal charges for violence against a woman. Corey Lewandowski was arrested in Florida on March 29, 2017, on misdemeanor battery charges. On March 8, Lewandowski had grabbed and pulled aside a reporter, Michelle Fields. Fields photographed and tweeted the bruises on her arm. Lewandowski denied that he touched Fields until contradicted by video evidence. The state attorney ultimately decided that there was not enough evidence to pursue criminal charges, and dropped the case.

President Trump himself has been the target of allegations of violence against the women in his life, most notably his first wife Ivana. During their 1990 divorce, Ivana swore in a deposition that Trump—in a rage about an unexpectedly painful scalp-reduction surgery performed by a surgeon she had recommended—had yanked a handful of her hair from her head and forced himself upon her sexually. The deposition further claimed that she spent the night locked in a bathroom weeping. The next morning, Trump asked her, “with menacing casualness, ‘Does it hurt?’”

So there is some context as to how it could happen that the Trump White House could decide to overlook an FBI report that two ex-wives of a senior staffer had alleged he had a history of domestic battery.

art_deco saidA court slapped a domestic abuse restraining order on this guy years ago. It's not just a matter of nasty ex-wives making unverified claims, after he was in the White House.

And how did he pass a Top Secret security clearance? Did he actually get one, or were its findings ignored? Just like fired National Security Advisor Flynn managed to get into the White House, despite his own past, that would have blocked anyone else from an appointment.

art_deco saidA court slapped a domestic abuse restraining order on this guy years ago. It's not just a matter of nasty ex-wives making unverified claims, after he was in the White House.

And how did he pass a Top Secret security clearance? Did he actually get one, or were its findings ignored? Just like fired National Security Advisor Flynn managed to get into the White House, despite his own past, that would have blocked anyone else from an appointment.